


Boomerang

by EmpressOfEdge



Series: Bumbleby Week 2020 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Bumbleby Week 2020 (RWBY), Emotions?, F/F, Fluff, I think?, these are no longer real tags im sorry, where does this classify?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressOfEdge/pseuds/EmpressOfEdge
Summary: “It’s beautiful,” she says, her mouth straining into a smile that’s probably not entirely genuine. She clears her throat as her gaze wanders back to the ring she’s playing with between her fingers. “Where—Where did you get it?”“Menagerie,” Blake says. “I found it…” she chuckles, like she’d forgotten where it came from, “well, I found it in a piece of tuna mom and I caught.”Yang snorts, a strange sense of relief washing over her at hearing the ring’s origins. “Why am I not surprised?” Yang expects Blake to retaliate with her own sass, because gods know she can win an impromptu sass-off, but she’s a little surprised when Blake simply chuckles before falling silent. She meets her eyes again, curious, and finds Blake biting her bottom lip and staring down at where Yang’s fingers are cradling the ring gently. Yang reaches out with her free hand to grab one of Blake’s, bringing her back to the moment. “Blake?”She snaps out of her stupor the instant their hands touch, cheeks going just a shade darker as she looks up into Yang’s eyes. Blake sighs, her fingers reaching up to touch the ring as well. “There’s… there’s a story behind it.”
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Series: Bumbleby Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770373
Comments: 26
Kudos: 211





	Boomerang

**Author's Note:**

> Last minute decided to participate apparently! Woo!

Yang honestly doesn’t notice it until they’re mid-fight, Blake doing an intricate flip over her head while she slides low to take out the Grimm in front of her. It’s only for a second, as she knows she should be concentrating on not taking a Beowolf’s claws to her face, but she can’t help but notice it, the way the light catches on something decidedly _not_ in Blake’s typical color scheme, hanging loosely from a string around her neck.

It’s not that it’s particularly shiny, or overly impressive at a glance, it’s just that it’s _new._ A new token found during their time apart. Or, a new token _given_ to her in their time apart.

The thought distracts Yang for a moment, her arm coming up just a moment too late to fully block the incoming blow, and she feels her aura shudder as the Beowolf’s claws scratch against her cheek.

Less than a second later, Blake’s blade comes hurling over her shoulder, embedding itself into the beast in front of her, which lets out a mournful wail, before dissipating into the air in a black and red mist.

Yang glances back over her shoulder in the sudden quiet, the only noise now the slight whistle of wind and panting breaths between them. She catches Blake smirk, tugging on the ribbon of Gambol Shroud to bring her blade back to her grasp.

“Y’know,” Yang says, as Blake sheathes her weapons, “I really could’ve taken ‘im.”

Blake chuckles, low and lighthearted. “I’m sure you could’ve,” she says, striding towards Yang, her hand running through her newly cut hair as she lets out a steadying breath. “But, that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to help. Especially when your Aura is down to…” Blake pauses, opening her Scroll and flipping it to where it shows Yang’s status blinking red. She decides not to finish the sentence, looking up at Yang with a raised eyebrow instead and Yang can’t help the light blush that colors her cheeks.

“I’m _supposed to_ take some hits,” Yang says with a shrug. “It’s literally how I use my Semblance.”

“ _Some_ hits, Yang. That doesn’t mean putting yourself in danger.” Despite her attempt at teasing, Yang can see the concern slip through, can hear it in the crack of Blake’s voice, the way her hand reaches for—

“What’s that?” Yang asks, pointing vaguely to the necklace Blake’s fingers begin to curl around.

Blake looks a little taken aback by the question. Or maybe it was Yang’s tone? If she’s being honest, she’s not entirely sure how the question came out and she’s now hyperaware it might’ve sounded a little… jealous. Especially since Blake’s cheeks tint pink and the corner of her mouth twitches up.

“It’s a ring,” Blake says, like it’s simple. And maybe it is. And maybe Yang really has no reason to believe otherwise. But she looks down at the little circle Blake’s now playing with between her fingertips and she can’t help but feel a slight tug in her chest.

Yang follows the tug forward until they’re standing mere inches apart. She gestures to the ring. “May I?”

Blake chuckles and rolls her eyes, her fingers slipping off the ring so Yang can get a better look. “So formal.”

Yang shoots her a grin for a second before her gaze dips low again. She brings her left hand up to take the ring between her fingers and she’s stumped by the piece of jewelry before her. It’s not metal, like she’s used to seeing from rings, and it’s not stone either, it’s more delicate than that, but she can’t quite place the material. She looks up at Blake who’s studying her intently and she has to swallow so she can speak again. “It’s beautiful,” she says, her mouth straining into a smile that’s probably not entirely genuine. She clears her throat as her gaze wanders back to the ring she’s playing with between her fingers. “Where—Where did you get it?”

“Menagerie,” Blake says. “I found it…” she chuckles, like she’d forgotten where it came from, “well, I found it in a piece of tuna mom and I caught.”

Yang snorts, a strange sense of relief washing over her at hearing the ring’s origins. “Why am I not surprised?” Yang expects Blake to retaliate with her own sass, because gods know she can win an impromptu sass-off, but she’s a little surprised when Blake simply chuckles before falling silent. She meets her eyes again, curious, and finds Blake biting her bottom lip and staring down at where Yang’s fingers are cradling the ring gently. Yang reaches out with her free hand to grab one of Blake’s, bringing her back to the moment. “Blake?”

She snaps out of her stupor the instant their hands touch, cheeks going just a shade darker as she looks up into Yang’s eyes. Blake sighs, her fingers reaching up to touch the ring as well. “There’s… there’s a story behind it.”

Yang squints. “Behind… how it ended up in the tuna?”

Blake lets out a laugh that tapers off into a sigh. “I mean _kind of?”_

“How is it _kind of_ a story about how a ring ends up in a fish?” Yang asks with a smirk.

Blake rolls her eyes. “Well, it’s not the main point of the story. But I suppose it is part of it.”

Yang grins. “Okay, I’ll bite; what’s the story?” Blake looks her in the eyes again and there’s a hint of nerves and… something else. Yang almost wants to call it longing, but she doesn’t want to get her hopes up, even if Blake and her have been getting closer over the past few weeks. She clears her throat. “I won’t _actually_ bite, if that makes you feel better?” It’s not until the sentence is out that Yang realizes that it could be taken _drastically_ out of context, but Blake still laughs, and her fingers stop shaking against her own, so she calls it a win.

Blake takes a deep breath, looking back down at the ring between them. “There’s this story my mother told me,” she starts, and there’s weight to it that Yang wasn’t necessarily expecting as she finds herself captivated by Blake’s voice, as she refuses to look her in the eye. “It was about a faunus princess, who—who fell in love with a noble human.”

Yang’s heart skips a beat on the word “love” and suddenly she’s very aware of why Blake might not be looking at her.

“But they couldn’t be together. So, she gave him a ring, carved from a seashell, as a token of her love.” Blake swallows hard and Yang watches as tear pool slightly at the corners of Blake’s eyes. She links the fingers of their free hands together, giving Blake’s a light squeeze. “He… he died in battle,” Blake says softly. “And a messenger brought the ring back to her. She was so grief stricken she climbed to the top of a mountain overlooking the sea and threw herself into it.”

Yang’s heart pangs with the words, connecting dots that maybe only she feels exists, but make her chest ache nonetheless. Dots that form the picture of a world without Blake. A world where they don’t get to stand here and have this conversation. A world where she’d never get the chance to hear Blake talk or laugh. A world where she wouldn’t get to see her smile, hug her, maybe even…

The thought of Blake’s lips on hers flashes at the forefront of her mind and it takes her a second to realize that it isn’t just happening in her head. It takes her a second to realize that the ring had dropped back against Blake’s chest as Yang’s hand moved to cup her face, draw her close, wipe the salt of her tears from her cheek while their lips press firmly against each other’s.

Yang pulls back, because she’s fairly sure she leaned in first, and starts stammering an apology. She’s so flustered that she’s not even completely sure of what she’s saying because now _all_ she can think about is how not sorry she is, and how she really just wants to do it again… and thank the _gods_ Blake’s on the same page because their lips meet again, a little slower, with more intent.

This time, they let it linger before they both pull back and Blake’s no longer crying. Just smiling. Beaming.

“I’m really glad you didn’t throw yourself into the ocean,” Yang mutters and Blake laughs.

“Actually…” Blake says, sounding guilty, and Yang pulls back to look at her.

“You…?”

Blake shrugs. “I told you I found it in a fish we caught.”

“By _jumping off a cliff?”_ Yang asks, eyebrows shooting up.

Blake chuckles, stepping forward and slipping her arms around Yang’s back. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Well… _yeah_. But still.”

Blake simply laughs again and Yang can’t help but join in for a moment before they lock eyes.

“Can I… Can I kiss you again?” Blake asks.

Yang swallows and nods, and then is blessed with the sensation of Blake pressing into her, weaving her fingers through her hair, breathing gently against her cheek.

Blake sighs as she pulls back, resting her forehead against Yang’s and playing with the hair at the nape of Yang’s neck. “Do you want to know something funny?” She asks after a long moment.

“We’re still standing in the middle of essentially nowhere sharing stories and kisses?”

Blake huffs a small laugh, but shakes her head. “Do you remember when we were back at Beacon? You took me to that bar? We got Sunflower Pops.”

“—Sunflower Pops,” Yang says at the same time. She smiles as the timing. At the memory. At the fact that Blake still remembers it. The cap she’s carried with her over their time apart now feeling like it weighs a ton in her pocket.

“Yeah,” Blake says, smiling. “I… for the longest time I kept that bottlecap.”

Yang smiles back, her heart warming at the fact Blake found it significant even back then. “Really?”

Blake nods, but her smile starts to slip. “Yeah. But I…” she sighs. “When I left for Menagerie, I wasn’t really… in a good place.”

Yang nods, thumb trailing gently along the small of Blake’s back.

Blake sighs again. “I tossed it off the boat.” She shakes her head. “Gods, it was so stupid. I just felt like… like I didn’t— Anyway, I actually thought the ring was… was the cap, finding its way back to me.”

Yang feels her mouth go dry. “You… you tossed it in the ocean?”

“I know, I’m—I’m sorry I just—”

Yang shakes her head, freeing one of her hands to reach into her pocket. “No. No. I wasn’t saying—I was…” She manages to produce the bottlecap thanks to the fact her robotic arm doesn’t react to her adrenaline and so is steady.

Blake’s eyes go wide as they land on the cap. “And you found that on—”

Yang nods. “The beach.” The odds of it being Blake’s cap are small, and Yang knows that, but she also knows the way it just _feels_ like it is. Like it’s meant to be. Like _they’re_ meant to be. She laughs, incredulous. “Here,” she says, taking Blake’s hand and pressing the cap into her palm, “take it.”

Blake’s fingers curl tightly around the bottlecap before slipping it into one of her pockets. Then she’s pulling the necklace over her head and before Yang can even think about protesting, it’s hanging loosely around her own neck. Blake doesn’t say anything, just gives her a meaningful look, and then Yang pulls her into a hug, breathing in the scent of her shampoo as she holds her close.

“You were still right Blake; it found its way back to you,” Yang says against her hair.

“Yeah…” Blake says, squeezing Yang a little tighter, nuzzling into her neck. “Yeah, it did.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's 1am and I don't remember how to write words so... comments? kudos? always appreciated. <3
> 
> Thank you for reading! Have a great day/ night!
> 
> Find me on tumblr: empressofedge
> 
> PS: Promise I'll proofread in the morning lol


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